June 7, 2024

Two flights, passengers, cargo and fuel

The new camp members before departure from Kanger on the first flight of the day. From left to right: Lin (visitor), Kyra, Adam (visitor), JP, Anders S, Iben, Mori, Nicholas, Anders KH.


After yesterday’s flight cancellations, nice weather in both Kanger and at EastGRIP allowed for two flight missions to be carried out today. We had a major crew exchange with only four participants staying in camp, 8 leaving and 7 arriving bringing camp population to 11. The Skiers took all the prepared retro cargo of four pallets as well as a large number of long loose-load drill boxes. We received some equipment, food and 15,000 liters of fuel. The fuel is much needed to run the camp and to fuel the Basler airplane that with come to camp next week. The Basler will do the pull-out from the Greendrill site at the Eastern margin of the ice sheet, where our American colleagues have been drilling for some weeks. We are all very pleased that the flight operations went so smooth today due to professional handling by the 109th, our camp personal, our Field Operation Managers (FOMs) in Kanger, the good weather and a tiny bit of luck. In the coming days we will find our feet as a new team, continue packing down camp, perform tests with an intermediate drill from surface and make ready for the Greendrill pull-out next week.

What we did today:

  1. Received Skiers 51 and 53.
  2. Shipped four retro pallets and 24 long loose load boxes with drill equipment.
  3. Crew exchange of 8 PAX out and 7 in. Camp population is 11.
  4. Sorted incoming food and cargo.

Weather today: Mostly sunny with some higher clouds from time to time. Temp. from -16°C to -9°C. Wind: 0-6 kt from S and SE. Visibility: Unrestricted all day.

FL, Anders Svensson